Friday, December 19, 2008

There are no words for what happened here a few nights ago. Roads were crappy to drive on, kids were everywhere outside without much snow gear to use - desperately making snowmen, drivers weren't sure how to drive in all the snow, schools actually got a SNOW DAY cancellation, Las Vegas made national news, and we still have just enough left to laugh about it all! It was unbelievable.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Every now and then I actually get to dress my boys for church, do their hair, (without any whining mind you!) and witness how much they love each other. I couldn't resist last Sunday, and it was worth being the few minutes late that we were!

We are running ourselves ragged with all the fun Christmas festivities going on around here, but at least we are having fun doing it. The kids had a blast picking out the perfect Christmas tree with dad this year, and were very proud and excited to decorate it with all their ornaments they (we) have collected for them over the years. Max could not understand why he had less ornaments than Jackson, but I don't think he cared about that for long - once the train came out and he got to set it up with dad! It was a special night...We also got to enjoy a night with our ward family last week. We got to go have dinner, and then enjoy a sweet program, put on by both children and adults. The music was beautiful and the children could not have been cuter, and the spirit was felt strongly. Thank you to everyone that helped put this on! Jackson LOVED being a shepherd with his good buddy, Luke, and Max was very excited to see his brother up on stage. (I didn't get pictures of this, I better do some blog hopping to see if I can steal a picture from one of them!)Last Monday night for family home evening, we went down to Town Square again with some friends to go and let the kids have a personal visit with Santa. Although we don't play much into what Santa is going to bring them, I love to see their faces light up when they talk about him being magical and how they react when he talks to them. The Santa at Town Square did not disappoint. He had heard me gently coaxing Max to go and talk to him, since I was not sure it was goig to happen. We had seen Santa a few other times, and he wanted NOTHING to do with talking to him, and cried hysterically. But this time, he bravely went up to him, even sat on his lap, and talked to him for a few seconds. This Santa knew just what to say, and even called him by his name. Later that night, Max commented on how nice Santa was, and that he wasn't even scary, and that he knew his name. The house that they have built down there for Santa is too cute, and the kids all had a good time together. The latest and maybe our greatest Christmas memory we got to make also happened this week. We were invited to go with a bunch of friends Tuesday night to go and Christmas carol/rock out on the Anderson Dairy hay ride on the strip. I wish I had my camera there that night, but we had forgotten it. Let me paint a picture. Lots of hay to sit on, hundreds of Christmas lights around the whole truck bed/guard gate, a huge sound system that boomed for miles, over 100 people squished together, laughing and having a great time. Everyone around me was cracking jokes about the unique "Las Vegas" version of Christmas caroling. (not quite the same as back in good ol' Heber. Half the night, we were rocking out to other "Ya'll ready for this..." followed by the bed jumping up and down from everyone dancing.) It was crazy. Anyway, we left Anderson Dairy, headed for Las Vegas Blvd. and were approaching Fremont Street, where we were all so excited to actually get to see people - and pass on our Christmas spirit...when outta nowhere...it happened. Yes. The unthinkable. The driver rounded the corner, (which to his credit was a very sharp and narrow corner, thanks to construction) and hit/scraped alongside an illegally parked taxicab. Thank goodness he wasn't in his car, but we all knew what happened as soon as it did. And what does 100 people do after something like this happens you ask? Nothing. We had to sit and wait for the police to come to file a report, paperwork shmaperwork...blah blah blah. Kids had to pee, babies were restless, kids and mommies are cold, dads are annoyed that they were roped into such nonsense. But you know what? Nothing could dampen the night for too long. The caroling and dancing still went on - all down the strip and back, and the kids still had the time of their lives. It just took us a bit longer to get back to Anderson Dairy to eat the doughnuts and drink the hot chocolate that was waiting there for us. (Thank you Kendra for the few pictures you did take for us!) It was a night not to be forgotten, that's for sure.

I was going through all the pictures we've been taking lately, trying to figure out our new camera...and came across a few fun ones. I still have so much to learn about taking "the perfect pictures", but I did think there were a few worth sharing.Our sweet cheese man!

How cute is my little sister??A very handsome father I have too!I LOVE this one of Aunt Paco and Max!It will be sad when they are too old to bath together in Grammi's tub!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

I must be on a blogging roll of some sort...and it's not going to stop any time soon, since I promised my mother-in-law LOTS of pictures now that we have a fun new toy to play with and figure out! (Have we told you guys THANK YOU enough times?! We LOVE our early Christmas present! Thank you, thank you, thank you!)

We got to spend the Thanksgiving weekend in Eden, Utah, with Russ's family, where more memories were made and recorded. (one thing's for sure with Russ's family: NO memory will ever be forgotten with everyone's cameras going all the time, and Mark's video camera! It's great!)

Here are some of our favorite memories and pictures of Thanksgiving day: *clogging up the kitchen sink and having it torn apart a couple of times to try and fix it - to no avail, and having to wash all dishes in the laundry room. (oh, and getting to eat Thanksgiving dinner on paper plates to help out the dish load!) It was the easiest dish washing day after feeding 15+ people ever! *Allie's "incident" with the airplane in the field. *Eating the yummy pies before eating Thanksgiving dinner. *Discovering the potato SMASHER with Aunt Sparklie! *Olin spilling a big cup of Diet Coke ALL over the kitchen floor in the middle of the sink mess, and then running to Lora's arms for safety! *Russ and I discoving that Guitar Hero is actually kind of addicting, and now both want one! *The YUMMY food...thank you to everyone that cooked, it was delish! *The fun company we got to enjoy...it wouldn't have been the same without any one of you! We also got to sneak in a short visit to the beautiful Salt Lake City temple to view the thousands of lights, and Jackson and Max LOVED seeing Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus floating in the water at the refelction pool...they thought that was really cool. No matter how many times you have seen Temple Square, it's still just as cool the 100th time or the 1st.We are so thankful for our family members, on both sides, and we look forward to more great memories!

I love the sweet moments you get to have with your children, and witness the proof that the simple things in life mean more to them than we could even imagine. Tonight I was busy sweeping up the floor, after putting up our REAL Christmas tree...needles are everywhere, and I'm trying to hurry before my piles of dirt get walked through. Max notices all of a sudden that I'm sweeping up the dirt with the small broom and dust pan, and says, "Mom! I want to do that! I want to help you!" He goes and grabs a second set that we have and starts sweeping away. And I say to him, "Max, I'm going to get you the same vaccuum sweeper as Grandma Nana has at her house so you can sweep our floors everyday." And he says, with excitement, "Sure mom! That would be awesome! Then I sweep the floors everyday!" So I decide to push it a little further and say to him, "Max, is it okay with you if Santa brings you only that for Christmas and nothing else? No toys? Just the vaccuum?" To which he replies again, without any hesitation, "Yeah! Sure mom! Sure!" How can that not melt a mom's heart? There you have it mom. Just buy us your same sweeper and we're all good. That's the gift that will keep on giving all year long.

Jackson, Max, and I sat around talking one morning about what we are thankful for. At first, they were a little confused at what being truly thankful meant, and what to be thankful for, but the more we talked, the more fun it got. I can't believe I almost forgot to blog it...but here's the list that we came up with this year!A=all of our fun "Aunts" (they then listed ALL of them they could think of!)B=the BeachC=cousins & candy (for Max of course) & cars to play endlessly with brothersD=our daddy(ies!) & Disneyland too (in that order!)E=eggs for breakfast (their favorite is still sunny side u=p!)F=our families, our friends, FOOD!G=our sweet Grandmas - all of them!H=home & hugs & healthI=ice creamJ=Jackson (he laughs, happy we are thankful for him!) & Jesus ChristK=kisses & kidsL=LOVE & laughterM=Max & Mom(s) & musicN=nieces & nephews & nice peopleO=oatmealP=our two great Papas & our Prophet(s)Q=quiet time! (ok, that's just me!)R=roads to drive onS=scriptures & sunshineT=temples & teachersU=underwear - that hopefully Max will be wearing soon! & fun unclesV=the right to vote (Jackson & Max still ask who I voted for and why!)W=walks outside & water to swim inX=(common, what starts with x, really?)Y=Yellowstone pool in the summer time!Z=the zoo (to ride on the sky buckets)

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Since we were already in Arizona, and only less than an hour away from the Grand Canyon, we decided to go and do a little sight seeing and hiking for a few hours the next day. I haven't been to the Grand Canyon in YEARS, and could hardly remember much about it, and to try and explain the Grand Canyon to the kids is nearly impossible, so we were excited to show them.

The Morgans decided to be troopers and go on a little drive with us, where we ended up seeing some really cool things. We got to see some Indian ruins, which the kids loved seeing, and then we got to hike up a big dome building - and look at the canyon from 70 feet above. It was so neat to drive along the canyon and have our breath taken away every time from the amazing view. Max kept asking who made it that way, and Jackson would reply, "Jesus did Max. And then He rested on the 7th day." I love the sweet things that happen between siblings when they don't think anyone else is listening. And I'm happy to hear that some things we as parents teach them - they actually listen to and understand! I'm so thankful for my boys and the sweet things that come out of their mouths.